Adept Series 8 - Temporary
by shadowglove
Summary: Peter Bishop is only Chloe's temporary bonder, and he's more than okay with that, but that doesn't mean he's just going to let *anyone* replace him. And then he finds out that there's someone else who could take over his responsibilities. Who cares if the President likes him? The newcomer needs to gain *Peter's* approval. And then there's Adept issues to deal with as well. PeterPOV
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Do not own**

 **Chapter 1 of 4.**

* * *

Tony hadn't been kidding when he'd said Chloe's pops was scary. Leroy Jethro Gibbs was a very hard man to crack, there was more to it than just an overprotective father. Peter had definitely had issues with the fathers of past girlfriends, but this was different. For one, Chloe Sullivan was _not_ his girlfriend. In fact, the closest thing he could come up with to define their relationship was that she was the eighteen year old whom he babysat - and helped solve crime - and also slept with.

Clearing his throat, Peter played with the neck of his collar as he glanced around the room. It wasn't like he was taking advantage of a mentally unstable young girl… no matter how much he felt like that sometimes. No. He was her bonder. That meant that he was her anchor, at least temporarily, and since this was a temporary gig that bond had to be continuously reaffirmed. That, of course, meant that Peter Bishop was having _a lot_ of sex with Chloe Sullivan.

He couldn't stop the grin at that point and was glad that no one was paying attention to him, because he was almost sure that if Tony popped into their office and saw him grinning the guy _would know_.

In the two months Peter had become Chloe's bonder, things had changed in his life. For one, he wasn't working outside of the law anymore, in fact he'd met the President of the United States so many times by now that the guy called him "Petey" - he still wasn't sure how he felt about that. There were a lot of differences in his life since he'd moved to DC, and he was still getting used to them. The best part was that he didn't owe squat to Big Eddie anymore. One less person hounding him was always a good thing.

"I'm just saying, Bones and Lord Rutter are just too close." Special Agent Seeley Booth pouted visibly on the screen his skype call was being displayed on. "Now that the supernatural world has opened up to her she's gone all Anthropologist on me "studying the phenomenon". I don't have the house to myself anymore! Between her and Parker I'm ignored in favor of the undead. Do you know how that makes me feel?"

"Technically he isn't the undead. That category would comprise zombies, revenants, mummies…" At Booth's look Chloe cleared her throat and ditched that topic. "I'm assuming you feel as if the ghost has supplanted your position in what is actually your castle," she declared as she bit into a red twizzler. "It doesn't hurt that Lord Rutter is an extremely handsome ghost either, or that he takes care of Parker and has become somewhat of an authority figure. And I'm sure you are jealous at the fact that you finally have Temperance refusing to leave your apartment - but it's because of another male - dead or alive that cannot be nice."

Peter glanced up from the scientific magazine he'd been pretending to read all this time and glanced between the screen and Chloe.

Seeley made a face. "Is there something I can use to scare him into not being so… so…?"

"Handsome?" Chloe piped up when Seeley couldn't find the right word. "Charming? Chivalrous?"

" _Annoying_ ," Seeley muttered. "What is it with this ghost? Every girl who meets him - hell - even Hodgins has a thing for him!"

"Well, maybe he was Casanova." Chloe's eyes widened. "You should ask him! He could give you some pointers on how to woo Temperance! He's obviously mastered the art of how to attain and keep her undivided attention."

Seeley glared at Chloe. "No."

Peter bit down on her bottom lip to keep from snickering. When he'd first met Special Agent Booth he hadn't exactly known what to make of him or his relationship with Chloe, in fact, he'd wondered right on the spot why exactly she'd needed _him_ as a bonder when Special Agent Booth was really a great match. Then he'd actually watched those two together and realized Booth was the brother Chloe had always wanted to torment. It was highly amusing to listen in on their conversations.

"Hey, you, stop looking so amused," Seeley sulked.

Peter glanced up from the magazine in all his innocent glory. "Huh?"

Not fooled at all, Special Agent Booth shook his head before he cleared his throat. "So how's the search for a _permanent_ bonder coming along?"

"Just as well as a search for capable team members," Chloe replied, sounding somewhat depressed.

Peter frowned at that. Was she eager for a replacement?

"I mean, I have the President on my back about this. All I hear from him is "this one is highly intelligent" and "this one has honors" and "this one is incredible at espionage" and "this one"—."

"What do espionage and honors have to do with his capability to be your bonder?" Peter wanted to know curiously.

She blinked and turned to look at him. "I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about becoming a member of our team. The President doesn't seem to get that this isn't just some ordinary task force. What we're dealing with is, well, whoever works with us will need more than a background in _espionage_." With a shrug she turned back to Agent Booth. "You guys still keeping an eye open for candidates for me?"

"Of course." Booth's phone rang. "Gotta go pretend I'm working. Bye!" And with that he hung up.

Peter snorted in amusement. "If that's the best the FBI has—."

"Leave Seeley alone," Chloe scolded as she swirled in her chair to face him. "You're always so mean to him."

"And you're always so quick to defend him." Peter grinned at her. "You know, for someone who messes with him all the time you're like a protective mother bear." He threw the magazine behind him, no longer pretending to pay it any mind. "You _do_ realize that he's a _lot_ older than you right? He should be the protective one?"

"Seeley—," but Peter never found out what Seeley was because Chloe blanched and tilted in her chair.

In seconds he was there, straightening her in her chair. His hands reached up to cup her cheek and he hissed when he found it cold to the touch. "That _duende_ case really took a lot out of you."

"I'm fine." And yet she nearly slid off the chair again.

"Yeah, I can see just how fine you are, Madam Liar." Lifting Chloe off the chair, Peter once more was relieved that while the office Vance had given Chloe now had a view, it was also more isolated from the rest of the building. Vance had probably figured that with the confidential matters they dealt with they needed space, he probably had never realized that the isolation would be abused in this way.

Lowering Chloe down onto the large sofa, Peter reached over and pressed the button that made the back of the sofa flatten so that it became a makeshift bed. Within seconds he pulled his sweater off and began to unbutton his shirt before he gave up two buttons in and instead focused on undoing his belt. In seconds his pants and underwear were on the floor and he was covering her body with his. A part of his brain wondered when it'd become second nature to reach for his belt the second he saw the signs, but then his brain completely shut off when she reached for him and drew him closer, kissing him softly, tenderly.

His hand slipped in under her skirt, trailed up the side of her thigh, and then he paused into her kiss. "Why aren't you wearing any underwear?"

Her only answer was to cup the back of his head and pull him into a deep kiss as she shifted her hips and he slid right into her warmth. Tingles of pleasure rocketed through Peter as he sunk deep into her. When they'd only just formed this temporary bond he'd gone slow and easy, had been worried that with any wrong move he could further traumatize her, but soon he'd realized that while she was nervous, Chloe was also aroused. He'd taken his time, had restrained himself, and then one day, when she'd whimpered desperately in his ear for him to go harder, he'd lost it.

Now, Chloe wrapped her legs around him, drawing him deeper inside of her as he thrusted. His hands found hers, his fingers entwined in hers as he pinned those hands over her head. Like always a moment's worry filled him. Would she feel trapped? Would what Lionel Luthor did to her come crashing back? And yet when Chloe cried and bucked her hips up into him desperately relief and arousal battled inside of him as he took the hint for what it was and jackhammered himself inside of her. In return he was greeted with the sound of her purr. He'd never heard a human being make that sound before, but it was definitely a purr, a low, utterly sexual sound that always drove him insane.

"You're so wet," Peter groaned as he rocked his hips, alternating his thrusts precisely. "Why are you so wet?"

Chloe cried out, her back arched, her grip on his arms nearly painful. " _Peter_!"

"Already?" He grinned, knowing that sound.

A flush covered her cheeks as she nodded breathlessly.

Capturing her bottom lip with his teeth, Peter thrusted deeper and deeper, feeling her tightening around him in warning. With each squeeze, each tremor, he felt himself close, and yet not close enough. "Tell me something."

" _Huh_?" She whimpered, disoriented.

" _Anything_ ," he begged into her hair as his thrusts grew desperate.

" _Anything_?" Chloe's voice broke as she gripped onto him tighter.

" _Chloe_!"

"T-the myth that a pot of gold is at the end of a rainbow is t-totally f-false." Her fingers dug into his back. "Do you want to know what is _a-actually_ at the end of a rainbow?" When he nodded with a grunt she continued. "A challenge for your heart's desire - which for most people is a pot of g-gold!"

Peter could feel her so close, and he was just about to join her. "What else?"

She began to tell him some obscure facts about Peruvian mummies.

The sound of her voice tipped him over the edge, and he hid his face in her hair as he came.

* * *

"How is she doing?"

Peter tore his gaze from Chloe, who was geeking out with Abby over something or the other, and turned to face Jethro Leroy Gibbs. The man made him feel simultaneously nervous and rebellious. He was so different from Peter's own father, and Peter had no doubt that if he made Chloe suffer Gibbs would kill him (and get away with it). "Better. She has some moments though… She gets…" He couldn't come up with a word to describe Chloe when she went into those states.

"Wonky," Gibbs muttered as he took a sip of his glass, gaze on his daughter. "Still, she's not crying blood or anything like she used to before you bonded with her."

"Temporarily," Peter added quickly. He didn't know why he kept reminding everyone that it was merely temporary whenever they bought up the bond.

Gibbs nodded.

"Peter! Let's go! Ziva knows the person in charge and can get us in free of charge." Chloe appeared next to them, eyes wide. How exactly had she made it here so quickly? "I've always heard about it—and the story of the Willis was always fascinating. I mean, I've seen it on youtube but it's not the same thing. I want to hear the music and watch her save her lover in person. Even though I don't think he deserves her considering he was betrothed the whole time."

Gibbs blinked, obviously confused. "Chloe, you've left out some key aspects of whatever it is you're telling Peter."

That wasn't anything new. Chloe many times forgot that they weren't all in her head, or could read her mind. Or, mostly, she forgot that she was thinking and not talking - thus she many times didn't give people most of the facts. It confused the others to no end, and Peter could see the mounting frustration within Chloe each and every time she realized she'd done it again. "I didn't realize you were into ballet."

Chloe's face, which had scrunched up, relaxed as her eyes widened and she smiled up at Peter as if he was the most incredible person in the world. It really took his breath away every single time she did that. So yeah, maybe he sometimes went overboard trying to figure out what she was talking about, but every time he did it was worth it. Anyway, he usually got the gist of whatever she was talking about and didn't get the level of confusion the others showed.

"I'm not usually, but I've always wanted to see certain ballets like the Nutcracker or Swan Lake, or—."

" _Giselle_ ," he finished.

"Yes, Giselle, otherwise known as the play I was talking about earlier." Chloe's grin grew. "The play you figured out because you're a genius."

"Nah." He shook his head. "I figured it out because I'm picking up Chloe-speech."

"You've always known Chloe-speech," Chloe whispered softly, an odd look on her face before she cleared her throat and grinned. "Do you want to go? To see Giselle?"

"Isn't three a crowd?" Peter wanted to know.

"Of course not, Jared's coming." Chloe rolled her eyes.

"Oh." Wait. Was this a double date? Peter didn't know how comfortable he felt with that. They were constantly blurring the line between them as is. He was only the temporary bonder. Some other guy would one day gain their approval and take Chloe on full-time. Was it fair to allow Chloe to get so attached to him knowing that?

"It's okay if you don't want to." Chloe's smile disappeared in a second. "I just thought you'd want to meet him, I, uh, you probably have plans. I'm sorry. It's all last minute. I should've thought… but you… I get in my head sometimes and I… you just know me and what I need… so if I didn't get… never mind." She sighed and looked away, clearly frustrated with herself. "I'll see you tomorrow and let you know how it went."

Peter didn't understand why she'd jerked to a halt and turned back to look at him in confusion, until he followed her gaze down and realized that he'd gripped her arm to keep her from moving away. What the hell? He hadn't even realized he'd done that!

Chloe glanced down at his grip on her and then her greens rose to his face. "Do you _want_ to meet Jared?"

"Why do you want my opinion on Ziva's date?" Peter wanted to know, something weird settling in his stomach.

"He's not Ziva's date." Chloe made a face at Peter. "He's _mine_."

Peter froze as he stared at her. "What?"

"Well, not _date_ , but, uh, his application came to me via the President and, well, he's been annoyed that I haven't really shown any interest in any of his previous applicants… but this one… he's got _something_. I don't know what, but I, maybe it's because, but then again he's not _him_ , but still. You know?" Chloe bit down on her bottom lip. "But, you know, don't worry. It's all really last minute, but he's going on vacation tomorrow so this was the only opportunity… and I've got this _really_ good feeling about him. Sure, he's not perfect, but who am I to talk about perfection? Especially in this time of need when I don't have anyone… it's like… I've got to _choose_ someone. You know?" She looked up at him with a little desperation, as if begging him to know so she didn't have to continue stumbling over her messy verbalization anymore.

"I know." For once Peter didn't feel good at the relief on her face. He _did_ know. This wasn't a double date. This was a Compatibility Test. This _Jared_ guy was a candidate for permanent bonder, and since Peter was the only person who had any sort of clue what it took to be a bonder she was asking him to come along to help her gauge this guy.

It was, uh, smart. Yes. It was smart. And Chloe was smart. So was Peter. And Ziva was very intuitive. Yes.

"Sure." Peter nodded with a smile which hurt for some reason. He could be getting out of this mess sooner than later. That was great news. "I can't wait to meet this guy."

Chloe grinned brightly. "I know! Me too!"

Peter ignored the look Gibbs was giving him and kept his smile in place, no matter how unnatural it suddenly felt.

* * *

Peter didn't like Jared.

Part of Chloe's verbal diarrhea earlier made sense as soon as the introductions had been made though. This candidate was Jared Booth, Pentagon head of strategic plans and policies. He was also Seeley Booth's younger brother. Given the fact that Chloe and Seeley had this weird bond it made sense that she'd gravitate towards his younger brother, especially given his qualifications and much higher position. It probably didn't hurt that Ziva and Chloe both very obviously thought Jared was handsome, and he was sickeningly charming, and he was polite yet engaging and basically seemed fascinated with Chloe. He talked to her and smiled during the ballet, and then when they'd all gone to eat at some restaurant Peter would've never been caught dead in otherwise, Jared had merely grinned and continued to charm Chloe.

They seemed to have very good chemistry together, joking and sharing stories about Seeley Booth. He seemed to flounder a bit when Chloe got a little "in her own head" but he was patient and asked her questions to try and figure out what she was saying. Jared was in a position of trust and importance in their nation's government. He spoke a couple of different languages, and apparently had some medals as well. He was cultured, had traveled around the world, and generally had something to say regardless of the topic so there was never an awkward moment of silence.

All in all he was a _horrible_ candidate for bonder, and Peter hoped Chloe and Ziva had realized that and were just being nice to the guy for the sake of being nice - and because he was Seeley's brother.

When Ziva went to the bathroom, Jared got a phone call and excused himself from the table to take it.

Chloe watched him go, a smile on her face, before she turned to Peter. "What do you think?"

He leaned back in his chair and eyed Jared's back. "I think it's obvious."

" _Right_?" Chloe nearly bounced in her seat. "He's _perfect_."

Peter's head swiveled to her so quickly his neck hurt. "Perfect?"

"Okay, maybe not _perfect_ , but he's definitely the best candidate I've seen." She turned in her seat to better face him. "He's interested. He doesn't understand exactly what he'd need to do, but he knows the President personally recommended him for this new role, and he's more than willing to try something new." She grinned. "During Giselle he told me that he's been getting a little bored and would like to try something a little more exciting."

Peter just _stared_ at her. How in the world could someone so smart be so dumb? It was _obvious_ that this guy was a charmer who would say what he needed to do to get what he wanted! Or maybe, just maybe, because Peter was a bit of a conman himself he could spot another one for miles away. Yeah. _That's right_. He settled a little easier in his chair. It wasn't Chloe's fault that she was being bamboozled into this. That was why she'd brought _him_ in, wasn't it? For his impartial, unbiased opinion.

The only one who could help Chloe choose his replacement was Peter himself. That only made sense, and he was going to make sure she didn't just choose anyone for the sake of having a permanent bonder. No. He'd feel guilty if she was saddled with some flake. He wouldn't allow that. He'd find and choose the perfect man for her and wouldn't allow her to accept anything less.

Resolve strengthened, Peter smiled.

Chloe grinned at his smile. "I'm so glad you like him too. That's settled, he's passed phase one - on to phase two."

Peter merely continued to smile at her, and when the others returned to the table he contributed a bit more to the conversation, but not too much. No. He was already figuring out which contacts to call when he got home. By tomorrow morning he'd have all the dirt on Jared Booth needed to knock him off of the list as a candidate.

No doubt about it.

* * *

"What do you think about him?" Once dinner was finally over, Ziva hung back with Peter while Chloe and Jared talked by his car later that night.

Peter raised an eyebrow. "What did _you_ think about him?"

"He was, as Tony would say, full of crapola," Ziva announced with a chuckle, reminding Peter exactly why he liked her. "But she is not very relaxed around men, and she seems fine with him. That is a good sign if they are to be in close quarters together."

Peter couldn't help his frown. "You don't actually think he stands a chance, do you?"

"Of course he does, he is the best option I have seen so far."

He couldn't help but feel a little insulted with that given the fact that _he_ was the other option. "He needs more than just a high position in government, and ideal family connections, to be suitable for the role."

"True," Ziva granted. "But she needs support."

"She _has_ support." Peter hadn't meant for that to come out as sharp as it did.

The Israeli beauty eyed him curiously. "But it is not the same."

Yes. He knew that. He was just a temporary bonder, but damn it, he'd saved Chloe's life by agreeing to be a part of this madness, even if only temporarily. That had to count for something!

Ziva and he didn't share any further dialogue after that. Instead he moved away and called Fatso Biggs to expedite that dossier on Jared Booth.

' _Best option' my ass._

* * *

 **TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Do not own**

* * *

 _I knew it_.

That was a chant Peter kept singing in his head all the way up the elevator and passed Gibbs' team's desks. He didn't look up to say hi to them, didn't acknowledge anyone at all, his concentration was on his victory song. He'd been right. Of course he'd been right. The dossier gripped tightly in his hands was all the proof that his instincts were a hundred times better than Chloe's and Ziva's put together - _and_ he was obviously a genius. And basically awesome. He was selflessly saving Chloe from herself and her hormones. All in all he was a freaking saint.

Finally making it to where her isolated office was, Peter flung open the door only to freeze, the words: 'I KNEW IT' choked in his throat.

Jared Booth was there.

Damn it.

What the hell was he doing there?

"Pete!" Jared waved from where he sat down on one of the chairs opposite Chloe's desk.

" _Peter_ ," Peter quickly corrected as he closed the door behind him.

"Right." Jared nodded, not seeming to really care. "Sorry for dropping by unannounced, but Chloe said I could come over and see the view from her office." He grinned. "I don't know what she holds against it. Given the fact that this is DC this is a decent view."

"It just feels… _open_." Chloe shrugged from where she leaned back against the edge of her desk.

"You liked the feeling of being caged in by four solid walls?" Jared joked.

"There's caged, and then there's protected," Chloe muttered under her breath. "I guess I felt more of the second."

Peter frowned. He'd never heard that before. Why hadn't she told him why she'd been so against moving to a nicer office?

"I guess I can see why you would," Jared announced as he rose to his feet and turned so that his back was to Peter, effectively standing between the two of them and hiding Chloe from sight. "So why not take one of the other offices adjacent? You know, the ones for the others once you get a team up and going?"

There was a pause, and when Chloe responded her voice was softer, huskier. Peter recognized it as the tone it took right before he entered her. "I might've grown fond of this office despite it all."

Jared chuckled and leaned in closer.

"Chloe, we need to talk." Peter gripped the dossier in his hands tightly.

She peered out from behind Jared, expression confused. "Right now?"

"Right now." He motioned to one of the offices. "It'll only take a couple of minutes and then you can get back to showing Jared around."

"Okay." She smiled at Jared. "I'll be right back." The blonde sent Peter a confused little look before she followed him to the office room he'd motioned to. By the time he got in, closed the door and locked it, she was staring at him expectantly.

Peter held the dossier out towards her, his voice low but determined. " _He's no good for this role_."

"Why not?" Chloe's shock was evident on her face as she took the dossier from him. "He—."

"He's an alcoholic, relapsed at least three times already," Peter was quick to inform her. "He can't handle the pressure, okay? You don't need someone who will resort to a bottle every time something happens that he feels he can't handle. You need someone strong. You need—."

"He's been sober for two years now, Peter," Chloe whispered as she skimmed through the documents. "I knew about this. When his file came to my desk I talked to Dr Saroyan over at the Jeffersonian. Seeley wouldn't be unbiased, but she would, and she's known them both for many years now. I knew I could get the truth from her, no matter what it was."

Peter stared at her in shock. She'd _known?_ "Are you _serious_?" He stalked towards her, not even noticing as she backed into the wall, eyes wide up at him. "I thought you were smarter than this!"

"He's _sober_ , Peter!" She slapped the dossier against his chest. "He has potential, and past mistakes shouldn't matter—!"

" _No_!" He banged his fist into the wall next to her as he leaned in and glared down in her face. "He's not only an alcoholic, but his issues with alcoholism have caused him _tons_ of problems - problems that Seeley has had to risk his own career over to get him out of! That is _not_ someone who can be trusted to have your back! To protect you! To be there for you!"

Chloe's lips parted, no doubt in defense of that smarmy bastard outside.

Peter leaned in closer. "I can't accept it. Not him. He's too caught up in himself to understand you or notice the little things you'll never say with your mouth, but your body language gives away completely." He trailed the back of his palm down the side of her chest, skimming the curve of her breast. "He'd never notice the little tells… like the way you get pale yet flushed when the symptoms only just begin. You get agitated, just one little touch hardens your nipples… just like that." He slowly circled one jutting nipple with his thumb slowly. "The bags under your eyes darken and your voice lowers, just a fraction, but it's enough."

The dossier dropped to the ground and Chloe gripped at the wall behind her. Her eyes were wide, embarrassment flushed her face as she glanced over at the door, no doubt remembering that Jared was on the other side and would hear them if they made any noise.

Leaning in, Peter spoke directly into her ear. "You're wet right now. I can tell just by the way you're breathing." His other hand trailed harshly down her body and slipped under her skirt. His lips pulled up in a smirk as his fingers found her underwear moist to the touch, and once they slipped under the elastic they easily found their way inside of her warm, moist center. "You need me right now, need me to slip inside of your body and renew our bond." He twisted his fingers so his thumb could rub against her as well. "The effects are weaning and your body's begging for me to remedy it."

 _"Peter_ ," Chloe gripped his shirt and sobbed silently into his chest as her body reacted so amazingly to his touch. " _He's going to hear_."

Hands already undoing his buckle and zipper, Peter whispered hoarsely in her ear. " _Not if you keep your voice down_." And then his hands were at her waist and she was hoisted up against the wall, her legs curled around his waist, and then he was inside of her. His lips swallowed her soft, tortured moan as he sunk completely within.

Burying her face in his neck, Chloe bit down on Peter's skin in an obvious effort to keep silent as he moved. He hissed and hung his head as her teeth lodged onto him, but he didn't stop. Peter nibbled at her ear, whispering anything and everything softly. The feeling of his warm breath against her skin always made her shiver and whimper. His hand hit the wall as he pressed his whole body against it. With his eyes closed he could concentrate on the way she tightened around him in small spasms, almost seeming to massage him as he thrusted.

" _Peter I'm so close_ ," she whispered against his skin, and if it wasn't for the fact that he too was almost ready he'd have smiled smugly. As it was, though, he was going to cum ridiculously fast, which was horrifyingly embarrassing for him, but the absolute truth nonetheless.

Outside, in her office, her phone began to ring loudly.

" _No_!" Chloe sobbed as she shook her head.

Hearing just how close she was, Peter grunted as he thrusted faster and faster, begging, praying - and then she was tightening around him and sobbing his name into his neck as she came seconds before his own climax hit and he filled her body with his essence. He could feel the warmth of the golden red design around his finger burn darker and more defined. It'd been uncomfortable at first but now he associated the burn with his pleasure and it didn't distract him anymore as he emptied himself inside of her depths.

Chloe's legs slid to the ground yet were visibly shaky as she held onto him.

Peter smiled into her hair. "I'll get the phone." He moved away and did up his pants. "You take your time to get yourself fixed."

The blonde looked up at him, face flushed. "I can't believe—."

Peter reached out and brushed a wayward strand of blonde away from her face and behind her ear. "You might want to go to the bathroom before my cum starts to drip down the inside of your thighs."

Green eyes widened and the flush darkened. "Okay." Her voice had taken that deeper tone again.

He reacted instinctively at the sound of it and moved towards her once more only to be stopped by the ringing. Peter took in a deep breath and motioned to the door. "I'll go see who that is." And with that he exited the room and was relieved to see that Jared was off to the side talking on his phone, looking annoyed with whoever was on the line. The guy didn't even notice him emerge, or Chloe do the same for that matter and hurry towards the bathroom.

Going around the desk, Peter answered the phone. "Special Agent Sullivan's phone."

"There's another one. I've had the direction sent to you. Bring Booth." And with that Vance hung up.

Peter frowned as he stared at the phone, which now had a dial tone. Bring Jared? Was Vance _serious_? Why the hell would they? The guy wasn't bonder material!

"Sorry about that, I was talking to my brother." Jared finally got off of the phone. "He found out that I'm applying for a position on the special task force and, well, he had some choice words for me." He shrugged. "He respects Chloe a lot and basically told me not to fuck this up. I told him I'd signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement and couldn't talk to him about anything happening during my probation period, which he grumbled about, but you know my brother and what he's like."

Peter stared at Jared in shock. "You're… applying for a… _job_ … on the _task force_?"

"Of course, that's why I'm here." Jared eyed him curiously. "Wait… why did you _think_ I was here?"

Peter continued to stare at Jared. _Oh my god_. He'd completely misread the whole situation! He'd thought Jared was a candidate for permanent bonder but instead he was a potential _team member_!

Collapsing onto Chloe's seat, Peter groaned and ran his hands over his face, completely embarrassed by how he'd overreacted… for no reason!

" _Dude_." Jared's eyes widened. "Did you think I was trying to mack on—? _No_. My bad. I'm a natural flirt but it doesn't mean anything." He held his hands up as if in submission. "Chloe seems cool and all that, don't get me wrong, but she's not my type. Plus, I don't make a move on girls who are _clearly_ in a relationship, and while you never came out and said it - which is probably due to office politics - believe me when I say that I read your message _loud and clear_ the second we met at Giselle. _Hands off_. No problem with me. I'm just looking for a fresh start away from my past mistakes, that's all."

To explain that he and Chloe were not dating would open up a can of worms that he didn't have the desire or energy to explain away, so Peter just let Jared assume whatever the hell he wanted. "You said you signed a Nondisclosure Agreement, right?"

"Yup." Jared nodded as he shucked his hands into his jacket's pocket and rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. "I'm seriously curious as to what exactly you guys do here. I work for the Pentagon, I've seen every single tier of classification, but this section? It's above Top Secret! I didn't even _know_ what I was being recommended for, just that the President thought I could do it." He grinned brightly. "And, well, I guess I'm intrigued."

Peter wanted to tell him that this wasn't a game to be intrigued by, that he would be dealing with things way over his head which threatened not only America's safety, but that of the world. Instead of doing so, though, he remained silent and merely nodded his acknowledgment. Not too long after, Chloe returned and they were off on their way.

* * *

Chloe was in her element with the remains, which had been brutally savaged by something clearly inhuman. She completely ignored the others, which was common when first examining the remains and their surroundings. Peter was used to this, doing his own perusing and taking notes. Jared was not only visibly confused and intrigued, but taking his cues from Peter.

"At least this time the freak of the week had the curtesy of doing its dirt in a place we could easily quarantine," Director Vance muttered as he appeared by Peter's side. His eyes were narrowed on Chloe as he folded his arms over his chest. "Has she figured anything out yet?"

"She's still processing everything," Peter replied softly, arms also folded over his chest.

"What must the world look like through her eyes?" Vance pondered softly.

Peter had wondered the very same thing during his first cases with her. "From what I've managed to get, her brain is basically a supercomputer which holds a ridiculous amount of memory in it, which she can use to pull up different information when she needs it. Or, well, she _should_." He made a face. "She _will_. It's gotten better but she's still having problems accessing and completely integrating the new software that was downloaded into her via the Crystal Skulls transference." What he wouldn't have given to have seen that, instead he'd had to rely on Dr Reed's personal first-hand account.

"Right." Vance took in a deep breath. "Once she has a permanent bonder it should help though, shouldn't it? She should be able to retrieve the information easier?"

Peter nodded. "I believe so, yes."

Vance's gaze shifted tellingly to Jared Booth.

"No." Peter hadn't even meant to say that, but now that he had the attention of the Director of NCIS on him he couldn't falter. "He's an alcoholic."

"One could say that in our line of work, with everything we see daily, we're all functioning alcoholics," Vance muttered.

" _He_ can't be, not if he's to be her bonder," Peter countered immediately. "Her bonder can't have an addictive personality, just like he can't be mentally ill. He can't be weak of spirit or body either. That is not Jared Booth. He's not for her."

"She needs a permanent bonder," Director Vance reminded him curtly.

"She needs _the right_ permanent bonder," Peter responded just as curtly. "I won't let you or anyone else bully her into bonding with just anyone because it's more convenient _for you_."

"Be careful, Mr Bishop," Director Vance warned. "I would watch how you talk to me if I were you."

"The only thing I'm watching is _her_." Peter turned to fully face the other man. "You don't seem to get that she doesn't just need a permanent bonder. If she doesn't have the right person it's not going to matter. You saw what she was like with Lionel, I only saw the end part, and that was enough. Sure, you can say it was because she didn't accept him or the bond, but there's more to it and that. There's a link between bonder and bondee. When she's at her weakest I need to know. I need to be able to pick up on the signs and act before she even realizes she's deteriorating." He stepped closer to Director Vance as his voice lowered. "I will _not_ give her over to someone who doesn't fit _my_ requirements."

Director Vance eyed him in silence, an odd expression on his face. "One would think, Mr Bishop, that you would be anxious to get back to your old life."

"I am." Peter frowned as he took a step back and glanced towards Chloe before clearing his throat and returning his attention back on Vance. "But I owe it to her to make sure that my replacement is worthy."

Vance nodded and walked away. He pulled his phone out of his coat and dialed someone.

Peter watched him go. When he finally turned his attention back on Chloe it was to find Jared kneeling down next to her, talking to her softly. Peter's face twisted in a frown as he moved towards them. Chloe hadn't finished her analyzing and cataloging yet, Jared needed to get the hell out of there. Now.

Chloe looked up at Jared and smiled.

Skidding to a stop, Peter's frown darkened.

"They have good chemistry together," a voice declared behind him.

Jumping slightly, Peter glanced behind him to see Ziva arriving to stand by his side. "Gibbs sent you to keep an eye on him?"

"Is it that obvious?" She asked in amusement as she eyed Chloe and Jared as they spoke, the guy listening intently to whatever the blonde was saying. "I haven't seen her this comfortable with a stranger since _you_."

"He's not a potential bonder," Peter found himself quickly clarifying as he stuffed his hands in his coat's pocket. "He's applying for a position on her team."

" _Obviously_." Ziva rolled her eyes before she paused and turned to look at him in shock. "Did _you_ think he was a candidate for bonder?" She leaned in closer, voice low. "He's a recovering alcoholic. That means he's not eligible."

Annoyed at how he seemed to have been the only one not to know the 411 on Jared Booth, Peter ignored Ziva's penetrating look and instead chose to focus on Chloe as she stared up at Jared, visibly forcing herself to focus only on him and not allow her mind to drift off and begin analyzing things once more, as it obviously was desperate to do.

 _See? She needs someone who will notice little things like that_ , Peter thought to himself, immediately vindicated. When Chloe spoke Jared looked more and more confused, and it was with growing vindication that Peter went over to where they were to translate Chloe-speech to the newcomer.

The whole while he ignored Ziva's attention on him.

* * *

"What _is_ that?" Jared's voice was dripping with disgust, his expression scrunched up as he stood half behind Chloe's frame, as if using her for protection. Since they'd been able to examine as much as they could at the site they'd taken the remains back to Chloe's own lab. The procedure was that after she got everything that she needed from the body she could send it to Ducky or Palmer to do a more thorough analysis. That usually wasn't necessary, but there had been instances, so this worked out.

Like usual, Chloe was elbow deep into the cut open remains. Her other, rubber gloved hand, was held up chest-height and had a slug-like creature which had curled around her wrist and seemed to be trying to crush her with little to no success.

Coming back with a large glass jar, Peter undid the cover and tilted the opening towards her wordlessly.

Glancing up at him, Chloe looked surprised for a moment before she smiled and, with little to no effort, managed to flick the slug-like thing off of her and into the jar.

Peter immediately closed the lid tightly.

" _Eeewwww_." Jared made a face as he eyed the slimy thing as it tried to climb up the smooth glass. He turned his back on the glass to notice that Chloe had her arm so deep into the cadaver it was passed her elbow. "Now that's just _wrong_." His gaze found Peter's. "How does this not ick you?"

"I've gotten used to it," Peter bemoaned as he lifted the jar to get a better look at the creature, noticing something. "So _that's_ why you had its head between your finger and thumb. It has teeth."

" _What_?" Jared turned back to the jar and this time moved behind Peter to look at the thing as it pressed itself against the glass, revealing sharp teeth which it was trying to puncture the glass with. " _Jesus_!" He looked up. "What sort of experiments have been going on here? What sorts of scientific and/or military mistakes are we freaking covering up?"

Peter's eyes widened and he motioned to Jared exaggeratedly while keeping his eyes on Chloe. "See? It's not just me!"

"What is it with you people always thinking the government is behind every nasty thing that comes out of the abyss?" Chloe muttered as she finally yanked her arm out to reveal some weird looking chrysalis. "This isn't the result of some fringe scientific experimentation. This is the result of _magic_."

Jared raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Magic. Like ghosts, werewolves and demons?"

"You know, I haven't actually some across a werewolf before," Chloe muttered to herself.

"You could consider the Nagual a were-animal, kind of," Peter reminded her.

"No, Naguals are shifters, not werebeasts, there's a difference." Chloe shook her head.

"Really?" Peter asked in surprise and intrigue. "How so?"

"Well—," Chloe begun.

"Oh come on, enough already with the 'let's haze the newbie' thing." Jared threw his hands up in submission. "What's _really_ happening here? What are those things? Did ugly butterflies cannibalize this guy?"

"Of course not," Chloe muttered in utter disgust, seeming blind to Jared's sudden, very visible relief. "To cannibalize insinuates that we're the same sort of animal, which we are not. These are clearly Sumerian Fire Slugs. Not human. Thus the proper way of seeing it would be that this organism 'predated' on a viable means of consumption for its own further evolution from parasitic larvae into its own complex organism. With the vast amount of surplus adipose tissue here he would've made a most suitable host for the whole process."

Jared stared at her and then turned to Peter with a 'what am I missing?' look.

"Guy was fat," Peter broke it down as he put the jar on the table and looked for another for the chrysalis. "And since these things are parasitic and feast off of their hosts while they develop from slug into something else, he was the perfect host."

"Oh." Jared nodded, and then what he was hearing hit, and he flinched. "That's _nasty_."

"And worrisome," Chloe agreed as she lifted the chrysalis higher up to the light in an attempt to peer through it.

"Well, _yuh_ ," Jared snorted.

"No, I mean that Sumerian Fire Slugs have been extinct for thousands of years." Chloe didn't look away from the chrysalis. "So what are they doing here? And how are they here?" She turned to Peter when he returned with another jar. "Also, more worrying is that I found more nesting chambers inside of the remains. This chrysalis and the larvae were the only ones still in their chambers."

"How many others?" Peter wanted to know as his eyes narrowed.

"Two." Chloe met his gaze.

"Wait—are you telling me that there are two more of those things still at that park?" Jared understood that much, his eyes wide in horror. When Chloe nodded, he hand his hand down his face. "Who do we call to deal with something like that?"

Chloe removed her hand from the jar, leaving the chrysalis inside. "The Ghostbusters."

Jared's eyes widened even further. "They _exist_?"

Peter couldn't stop himself from chuckling as he put the jar away. When he turned back to the others, Chloe was grinning and Jared pouting with an embarrassed pink on his cheeks.

" _We_ deal with that sort of stuff, don't we?" Jared groaned.

Chloe and Peter shared darkly amused looks, before he turned his gaze back on Jared. "Time to suit up."

Jared sighed, a wry smile on his face. "I was afraid you'd say that."

* * *

 **TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Do not own**

 **Chapter 3 of 4.**

* * *

"Couldn't this have waited until tomorrow? When there's actual sunlight and not these crappy flashlights?" Jared wanted to know, a flashlight in one hand, his gun drawn in the other.

"Maybe we can phone in the hatched Sumerian Fire Slugs and ask them to hold off until daybreak," Peter mumbled. He too sported a gun and flashlight, and stood on Chloe's other side as he scanned the ridiculously dark foliage all around them. "I'm sure they'll be up for a quick coffee date to get our schedules in order."

"Are you always this much of a smart ass?" Jared laughed as he spared a glance over at Peter.

"Are you always this much of a complainer?" Peter wanted to know as he also met Jared's glance over Chloe's head. It was only then that he realized that sometime during their walk from his car that Chloe had put in earbuds and was completely ignoring them. He reached out with the hand he was holding the flashlight with and curled a finger around one earphone, yanking it out with a snort of amusement. "Are we being too noisy for you, Your Highness?"

She glanced up at him with a sheepish smile, and her only answer was to steal the earbud from him and slip it back into her ear.

Peter watched as she walked on ahead of them, a lopsided grin on his face.

"Dude, you are _so_ whipped," Jared chuckled as he shook his head.

Sending him a little look, Peter rolled his eyes and continued on as well.

Chloe froze in the front and turned around to face them. "Do you feel that?"

"Feel what?" Peter asked as he and Jared shared a look before shining their lights and pointing their guns at the darkness around them to find nothing at all. "I don't feel—." Peter turned back to where Chloe had been standing not two seconds before, to find her suddenly gone. " _Chloe_?"

"Where the hell did she go?" Jared asked in utter shock.

"Chloe?" Peter took a couple of hurried steps forwards before shining his light everywhere, forgetting that they were supposed to be stalking their prey. "CHLOE!" Panic clutched at his chest. Was she having some sort of attack? He'd feel it if it was the bond - and they'd recently renewed it. It couldn't be that - and she wouldn't stay hidden this long on her own. That meant that something had grabbed her while his back had been turned.

"Those slug things couldn't have taken her that quickly or quietly, right?" Jared asked as he continued to shine his light in the darkness around them.

He didn't know the answer to that. "Do you have Ziva's number?" When Jared nodded, Peter raised his gun. "Call her. Tell her what's happened. Now." And with that he dove into the shrubs. "CHLOE?!"

* * *

Three hours had passed since Chloe had disappeared, and not only couldn't they find one trace of her, but there wasn't any trace of those two missing Sumerian Fire Slugs either. Peter must've walked the whole park three times over but he hadn't found a trace of her, and he couldn't forgive himself, or even understand how it'd happened. The dogs weren't picking up a smell at all. They'd followed the scent right to the place where Chloe had been before she'd disappeared, and then they'd stopped in their tracks and begun to howl and complain. No matter how much prodding they got from their handlers, the hounds wouldn't move.

It took Peter far too long to suddenly understand what might've happened, and while his first instinct was to go to Gibbs there was no way that he was going to approach the subject with the already agitated man. That was why he reached for Ziva and pulled her aside.

Ziva, for her part, merely blinked once he was done. "You believe she teleported?"

"We know she's able to do it, and not control it either," Peter reminded her in a low voice. "She did it to me when her bond with Lionel was dying."

"Yes, but we believed it was because the bond was dying," Ziva repeated slowly. "Why would she be teleporting right now?"

"I don't know," Peter whispered. "We… the bond was strong tonight."

A small smirk touched Ziva's lips, as she no doubt knew _why_ the bond had been strong. "How long was she with you during her teleportation trips?"

"Never more than ten minutes," Peter replied after a moment's thought. "No, wait, I'm lying. Once she was with me for a whole twenty minutes. Never an hour though - much less _three_."

"Wait a moment," Ziva whispered before she left Peter, only to return with Tony, whom she'd obviously filled in since her first words back were: "Tony has watched every time-travel and teleportation movie or series ever. If there's an expert on the subject, it's him."

"I wouldn't say expert, but yes, I _have_ seen my fair share of movies or series dealing with the topic." Tony straightened the lapels of his jacket, looking far too excited about this whole thing. "So you think little Shortstop went all Jumper on us?"

Not getting the reference, Peter merely raised an eyebrow and waited for Tony to continue.

Clearing his throat, Tony pressed on. "Is there any factor in common between tonight and the other nights that this happened?"

Thinking over everything, Peter shook his head. "Not that I can tell at least."

"Maybe it is not her, maybe it is this place." Ziva motioned around her, a shrewd expression on her face. "There is no sign of the Sumerian Fire Snails."

" _Slugs_ ," Peter quickly corrected as he turned to look at her. "What are you saying?"

"They just disappeared, like she did," Ziva pointed out.

"So you think they were teleported somewhere else, like she was?" Peter wanted to know.

"We have to consider every possibility," she responded.

"Yes but—," Peter hissed a soft curse under his breath as he turned his gaze, and the beam of his flashlight fell on his finger. The golden red design around his finger burned bronze, as if about to catch on fire. While Peter was used to it getting heated every time they strengthened their bond, it had never burned this hot before. He was almost scared he'd see his skin beginning to melt off from just how hot it was.

"Is it supposed to be doing that?" Tony wanted to know as he shone his light on Peter's glowing finger.

Dropping his flashlight, Peter gripped his wrist and grunted as he clenched his teeth in an effort to quiet his pain. And yet the pain was second to the panic growing in the pit of his stomach as he realized that not only was the design brighter and hotter than ever, but it was growing thinner and thinner with every passing second. Whatever was happening it was eating at the bond between him and Chloe, and if it continued to do so their bond would be completely gone.

The thought filled him with fear.

If their bond completely disappeared, not only would Chloe be lost only the gods knew where, but she'd be without their bond to protect her. Azazel could come for her - any other demon, monster, or monstrous man could force a bond on her. They'd hurt her to get it too.

Peter still found it hard to think about how Chloe's first bond had been forced on her. Every time he was reminded of it he felt simultaneously sick and vicious. She'd been too young to go through something so horrible, and had had to live with the horrifying consequences ever since - he'd never let something like that happen to her ever again. He's promised himself that, it was why he was so picky with the requirements for his replacement. She needed only the best. She needed someone who could understand that at times she was scared to be touched, someone who would coax her through her panic attacks - someone who would know when to push and when to hang back.

"We need to find her." Peter glanced up from the fading design and found the same look of sick worry on Tony and Ziva's faces. They knew exactly what that meant. " _Now_."

"What's going on?" Jared asked as he joined them. His eyes fell on Peter's finger and they widened. "Jesusfuck! You're on fire!"

"It'll pass," Peter hissed, and prayed that that was true. Already the fade was becoming highly noticeable. Some part of the design were gone completely. "It will." He didn't realize he was holding his breath until the burning heat began to subside and the design stopped glowing. A sigh of relief escaped his lips loudly at the realization that while the design was horribly faded and 80 per cent of it was completely gone... it was _still there_.

That meant that no matter how weak it might be, their bond was still there, and it would protect her.

Peter's gaze rose from his hand and noticed Gibbs readying to go on yet another round of the park, despite having searched multiple times already.

"What's going on here?" Jared wanted to know. "What's _really_ going on?"

Leaving the others to answer, Peter picked up his flashlight and went to join Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs' side. "Could you use some company, sir?"

Chloe's father, who'd punched the last man to tell him to take a break (it was one of his CIA buddies) turned to look at Peter in silence. He eyed the younger male over and merely gave a curt nod before starting off.

Taking in a deep breath, Peter checked his gun's magazine, readied his flashlight, and hurried after.

* * *

Four more hours had passed without any sort of idea of what had happened to Chloe, and Peter was slowly going insane. He and Gibbs must've gone over that park over twenty times. The sun had come up a long time ago and had found them still trekking silently through the dense foliage searching for any sight of her.

While Peter knew that Chloe could very well have teleported somewhere else, according to her, every single time she'd teleported to him she'd returned to the place she'd been before, so she _had_ to come back here.

Still, though, to be clear, he'd gotten in contact with friends who still lived in the cities he'd been in when she'd teleported to him, and gave them her description to keep an eye out for her.

It wasn't their numbers that called him later though, it was one he didn't recognize and didn't answer because of it. It was only on the third attempt that he finally answered, curtly. "Who is this and what do you want?"

"I've found her," Jared Booth informed him.

Peter's eyes widened and he stopped immediately, turning the phone on to speaker. "You found her? Where? Is she okay?"

Immediately Gibbs turned around to face him and grabbed the phone from Peter's hand. "Where is she, Booth?"

"St. Elizabeths Hospital," Jared replied with the same tone as if he were answering to a yelling drill sergeant. "Special Agents David and DiNozzo explained that she could very well be in an unfit state at the moment so I reached out to some friends that I have in the mental health field here on a whim. One of them came back saying that a blonde had just appeared inside one of the solitary confinement cells in a state of disarray. She's being tended to as we speak."

Gibbs and Peter shared a look before hurrying back towards the parking area.

* * *

Chloe sat on the sofa, arms around her knees as she rocked back and forth. Not only was she completely unresponsive, but she looked different than she had mere hours ago. There was some hard goo which had crusted in her hair, minor burns which had been bandaged, and she wore a hospital gown that the attendants at St Elizabeths' swore was not one that they issued. She was surrounded by patients the psychiatric hospital's staff assured him were all non-aggressive, and Peter gulped back mixed feelings as he watched her. He didn't hear one word the doctors were telling them, he left that to Gibbs and Jared. Instead he slipped into the room, ignoring the calls for him as he crossed the room and went to bend on his knees in front of her.

"Chloe?" He asked softly. "It's me, Peter."

Her eyes suddenly focused on him. "Peter?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Can I see your ring finger please?" She asked softly, terror definitely in her voice.

He raised his finger to show the very faded, yet still there design, and when her hands reached to cup his, his eyes widened as he realized that her ring finger was completely bare. The mark wasn't faint, wasn't faded, it just wasn't there. Peter glanced down at his own finger. The outline was faint, it was faded, but it _was_ there.

Immediately his gaze rose back to meet her green orbs. "Who are you, and where is she?"

Relief spread across her face as she launched herself at him, hugging him tightly. "She said you'd have the same ring design around your finger, and that you'd know I wasn't her!" She pulled away and looked into his eyes while leaving her hands on his shoulders. "She said not to talk to anyone but you because you're the only one who can't be copied."

What in the world was she talking about? That made no sense whatsoever! "Where is Chloe? Why do you look like her?"

"Because I _am_ her," the lookalike responded. "Just not the her from here… wherever ' _here'_ is."

It took Peter two seconds to get what she was trying to say. "You expect me to believe that you're from an alternate reality?" His eyes narrowed. "One in which _our_ Chloe is trapped inside." He leaned closer. " _Talk_."

Alt!Chloe opened her mouth to do so, only to immediately shut it when Gibbs and Jared arrived after finishing up with the paperwork. Her eyes widened when Gibbs broke character and gathered her in his arms, pulling her to her feet in his fierce hug. Her hands remained at her sides, her fingers splayed. A clear 'what the hell is happening?' look was plastered all over her face.

"Are you okay?" Gibbs asked as he finally pulled away and cupped her face, visibly searching her over for more wounds. "Who did this to you?"

In a second Alt!Chloe pulled away and backed off enough that she was out of touch. She hugged her arms over her chest and angled her body away from him in a very clear 'don't touch me, I don't like it' sort of way.

This clearly hurt Gibbs, which was understandable given the fact that he didn't realize this wasn't his daughter, but to his credit he quickly hid his hurt.

Distrust and unease were visible in Alt!Chloe's eyes as she gave both Gibbs and Jared very openly wary looks.

Clearing his throat, Gibbs turned to Peter. "You and Booth should get her home. I'll return to the scene and I _will_ find out what happened." With one last look in his daughter's direction, Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs left.

Alt!Chloe refused to speak after that, probably due to the fact that Jared was there. Her silence remained fixed in the car, but that was probably due to the fact that she kept shifting from one side of the car to the other while in the back seat, staring out of each window at the city in visible awe. It was as if she'd never seen Washington DC before.

Jared was quiet as well during the whole way, but the little looks he gave, both to his phone and to the rearview mirror, proved that his mind was working overtime on something.

Given everything, Peter was grateful for the silence as it allowed him to think. Was the thing in the back of his car really a Chloe from an alternate reality? One, maybe, in which the Sumerian Fire Slugs weren't extinct? And if so, what had caused the slugs, and then Chloe, to slip through realities? And why had this Chloe come back and not theirs? Where was she? Why had their bond faded so much so quickly? Was it the different realities - or because she was in danger?

Or what if this was a whole big lie and the thing in the backseat was playing them all?

They were questions that haunted Peter as they arrived at Gibbs' place and let themselves in. Alt!Chloe followed behind, eyeing everything curiously as she kept three steps behind them at all times, even when Peter showed her upstairs to her bedroom. The silence remained as she examined every inch of the room, her eyes growing larger and larger as she did so.

Jared's phone rung so he excused himself to answer.

As soon as his footsteps faded into the distance, Alt!Chloe turned to face Peter with a very confused look on her face. "I live here?" When he nodded her confusion visibly grew. "Why?"

"Because you're making up for the time you missed with your dad," Peter responded. He'd never actually asked Chloe that question, but he'd been able to figure out the answer fairly easily.

Her eyes widened, and when she spoke her voice was soft, hopeful. "Dad's alive in this reality?"

"Of course he is." Peter frowned at her. "He was at the hospital with us to make sure you were fine."

"No he wasn't." Alt!Chloe frowned. "The only person with you guys was that seriously overly friendly guy. The guy who was clearly some sort of government agent - just like that other guy with us." She took in a deep breath. "My father's Gabriel Sullivan."

It was at that moment that Peter realized that this version of Chloe had never discovered the truth of her parentage. He contemplated telling her the truth, but to be honest she wasn't the Chloe he cared about so he didn't bother. "Why is Chloe over in your reality and why are you here in ours?" He moved closer. "And how do we rectify that?"

She took in a deep breath. "I don't really know how to rectify it, as you put it. I came to Washington DC, _my_ Washington DC - which looks _so very different_ to yours - because we were tracking someone who has been collecting some seriously dangerous occult items in the black market. Ollie's contact believed that he was after a very rare tome filled with mystic informational - he called it The Grimoire Adeptus."

Peter's stomach clenched, and it was all he could do to not show just how rattled he truly was. He wasn't sure he believed Alt!Chloe's story, but just the fact that she'd mentioned the Adept put him on high alert.

"The thing is, though, by the time we finally found him, Lex was already in the middle of some ritual, and—."

"Lex?" Peter wondered why that named sounded familiar.

"Yeah, he's the guy we were tracking," Alt!Chloe explained with a nod. "Lex Luthor."

Peter froze.

Luthor. Lex Luthor. Son of Lionel Goddamn Luthor.

It was only after he'd grabbed Alt!Chloe and slammed her back hard into the wall that Peter even realized that he'd moved. "How do I get her back?"

Clearly winded, Alt!Chloe looked up at him in growing fear. "I told you, I don't know!"

" _How_ did you get here?" He snarled at her.

"We tried to interrupt the ritual, but Lex had gotten far enough that she appeared!" Alt!Chloe responded quickly, voice high-pitched and clearly nervous. "One minute she wasn't there and then the next she was. We looked at each other in confusion, and then he grabbed her hand and looked at the design on her finger and said it was temporary. I don't know what he meant with that! He started to chant something, she was screaming for him to stop, and then her finger was burning bright like lava."

A dark sickness begun to grow in Peter's stomach. "He couldn't have been able to finish the binding process, my design is still on my finger." That was the only thing keeping him sane right now. "So what happened?"

"We were attacked by these things she called Sumerian Fire Beetles, she said she'd been tracking them. They killed some of Lex's men before we managed to put them down." Alt!Chloe motioned to her bandaged burns as proof of this part if the story. "Then before Lex could start up again, we were ambushed by some other people, they looked government, kind of like the guy at the hospital and the one in the house with us," Alt!Chloe replied immediately. "They took us to their base of operations and stripped us of everything, giving us the hospital gowns to wear instead. They interrogated us for hours, asking us questions on the beetle thing, about whatever Lex was doing, and about something they called an 'Unsanctioned Incursion'. Obviously, Ollie and I had no idea about anything they were talking about."

Peter's eyes narrowed.

"When we weren't being interrogated, most of us were kept in a large holding cell, except for Lex - he never came out of interrogation." Alt Chloe cleared her throat. "One of the guys, a think he was one of the heads of that department, was saying something about timelines needed to be corrected, but I started feeling the pull, not her. She must've realized what was happening before me because she told me to wait for you, that Peter - the man wearing the same design on his finger that she did - would come, and that you were the only one I could trust because no even a shapeshifter could replicate the color or design... or just how faded and nearly gone hers was." Alt!Chloe gulped and stared into his eyes. "She said that if there was anyone who could pull her back, it was you."

This all sounded so insane, and yet looking into her eyes… Peter somehow knew it was the truth. He finally let her go and backed away as he ran a hand over his head.

"Alternate realities exist _too_?" Jared's voice shocked them both as he entered the room once more. " _My god_ , I'm joining this team! That's it! Where do I sign?"

Alt!Chloe eyed him, clearly unimpressed.

Jared turned to Peter. "So, how would we even begin to work towards getting 'the Chloes' to switch back to their original timelines?"

"I don't know," Peter admitted as a dark and nervous feeling welled in his stomach. He let out a deep sigh and ran his hand down his face. "But I know someone who might."

* * *

 **TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Do not own**

* * *

It was a 7 hour, 11 minutes drive to Massachusetts, but a 1 hour, 2 minutes flight, which was why he was searching last minute flights. He couldn't believe he was doing this, that he was going to Massachusetts, to St Claire's, despite having sworn to never do so, and yet he had no other choice. Every time he glanced down at his ring finger the design that tied him and Chloe was fainter and fainter. It was barely there. With the rate in which it was fading he didn't think he'd even make it to Massachusetts.

His finger was seconds away from pressing the CONFIRM FLIGHT on the webpage, when his hand began to burn again. Peter gripped at his wrist and stared down at his ring finger in mute horror. The faint ring was disappearing. He was too late.

 _NO!_

The door opened as Jared returned with Alt!Chloe, whom he'd accompanied to get something to eat in the kitchen. With everything that was happening Peter had filled Jared on _everything_ that was going on, so the other man knew exactly just how bad this was.

"It's disappearing," Peter whispered, voice choked. Never in his life had he felt so impotent. His gaze met Jared's in utter horror. "I'm losing her."

Taking in a deep breath, Jared left Alt!Chloe's side and slammed his hands down on the table Peter was sat at. "How did you get her to teleport to you before?"

"What?" Peter made a face, trying to think through the horrible burning, and the fact that it was getting better because the design around his finger was almost completely gone. "I didn't do anything, she did it without realizing what she was doing. I had no clue what was going on! I didn't even know she was teleporting!"

"Why was she teleporting?" Jared pressed as he leaned forwards, his hands still down on the table. "Why to _you_? What's so special about _you_?"

What was with this attack? "Her bond with Lionel was dying and she was subconsciously looking for a new bonder." He paused and he blinked. "Which means, I guess, that I'm the best candidate for replacement bonder that it found."

"Which _means_ that there was a connection even _before_ the bond was established between you two," Jared informed him in a hard tone. "A connection that can only have been made stronger with that bond." His gaze met Peter's, and in that second he was far from the charismatic flirt, or the awed newcomer. No. His face was hard, set, his eyes burning with determination. "So use that connection. Call to her. The bond is dying again, isn't it? So she must be subconsciously searching for a new partner."

"Or Lex is trying to force her into accepting him," Alt!Chloe whispered. She hadn't really been told much, but like the real Chloe, she was sharp and picked up things quickly on intuition alone. "That might be why she's not immediately searching you out like she has apparently in the past."

"That, or there's another candidate in that reality, and with everything—," Jared stopped himself and shook his head, returning his attention to Peter. "You need to remind that connection why it chose you. Something about you called it before. Force it back."

He didn't like the idea of forcing anything, but as the pain continued to decrease, Peter's panic grew. "How?"

"I don't know! All I know is that this is our only strategy, the only card we can play given our lack of time." Jared slammed his palms back into the desk. "So _play_ it." He took in a deep breath. "She told Chloe2 that you were the only one who could bring her back. _Prove her right_."

Staring up into those dark eyes, Peter let out a deep breath and realized Jared was right. Peter knew he was much smarter than Jared, but sometimes Peter was the stupidest smart guy around. How had this not even crossed his mind as an option?

Taking in a deep breath, Peter closed his eyes.

"Concentrate on her," Jared directed him. "Concentrate on your connection, and call her." His voice lowered. " _Call_ her, Peter Bishop!"

 _Chloe_. Peter placed his hand over the burning around his finger. _Chloe, come back_.

"Will this work?" Alt!Chloe whispered in worry.

"It has to," Jared whispered back.

 ** _Chloe_**. Peter tightened his grip as he clenched his teeth. The design throbbed, it was close to disappearing forever. **_CHLOE._**

He saw a flash of something. He wasn't sure what it was, but he pushed harder.

 ** _CHLOE._**

The image returned, and this time it held long enough for him to make it out. Chloe was on her knees, sobbing as she gripped the jacket of a blonde guy with blue eyes who looked down at her as if scared and not sure what to do. His hands were on her shoulders and he was asking her something as darkness began to gather around them. Chloe was sobbing uncontrollably into his jacket, gripping him as if to life and sanity.

 ** _CHLOE._**

All around them darkness was growing, shadowy figures beginning to form.

Peter had seen this before on the day that Lionel Luthor had died. _Our bond's going to break_ , he realized in horror.

The stranger cupped Chloe's face and raised her gaze to his, his lips moving.

Chloe looked up at him in pain and surprising supplication.

 ** _CHLOE_**.

The guy, who must be Lex Luthor, closed his eyes and brought his lips to hers.

Peter felt something in him reacting, and suddenly the design around his finger flared like lava. **_CHLOE COME HERE!_**

Chloe's eyes widened and seconds before Lex's lips could touch hers she flickered away. A second later something heavy collided into Peter's body, and he opened his eyes to find Chloe, his Chloe, there in his arms. She was sobbing and shivering, whispering his name over and over again into his chest.

Something welled in his chest and Peter wrapped his arms around her, his lips meeting hers. He didn't know what happened, but suddenly Jared and Alt!Chloe weren't in the room anymore, the door slammed shut loudly, but he didn't really care as he cupped Chloe's face and kissed her harder, feeling the burning beginning to once more and get unbearable, but he welcomed its intensifying heat because it was spreading, and that meant the design was regenerating.

What happened really wasn't lovemaking, but every time he felt her shuddering around him in pleasure, and every time he found completion, he could feel her slowly returning more and more. It seemed to last forever and yet was over far too quickly all at the same time. Chloe, clearly exhausted by the whole ordeal, had fallen straight to sleep, and from where he sat up in bed next to her, Peter couldn't help but stare at the design around her finger, which was once more a deep golden red, and the pattern fully regenerated.

His own was similarly restored to mint condition. A sigh escaped his lips as he rubbed the design before returning his gaze to the sleeping blonde.

That had been close, way too close. As if worrying about their own reality wasn't enough, now they needed to worry about this other one - and the Grimoire Adeptus - and whoever had it. As long as that tome existed, and Chloe didn't have a permanent bonder, she'd live in even more constant danger the before.

 _I need to find her a permanent bonder as soon as possible_. Reaching for his phone, Peter paused when he saw all the missed calls on it. He sighed and called one of them back.

"How is she?" Seeley Booth answered immediately. "Jared said she's back but that he couldn't comment further on it. I've been trying to call you for details but you haven't been answering."

"Why me and not Gibbs?" Peter asked tiredly.

"He scares me," Seeley admitted with no shame. Not that he had any reason to be ashamed for that fact - Leroy Jethro Gibbs _was_ scary.

"I need your help," Peter replied instead of answering Seeley's question. "How soon can you be over at my place?"

"I'll be there with beer right after work," Seeley responded. "I have a feeling we're going to need the alcohol. See you then." And with that he hung up.

Looking through his other missed calls, Peter chose another and called back.

"Finally!" Dr Spencer Reid of the Behavior Analysis Unit - and Chloe's psychiatrist - declared as he answered, sounding flustered. "I heard she's back. I'm on my way from Quantico. Is this a secure line? Can you tell me exactly what happened? All I've been fed has been vary vague but highly disturbing."

"How soon will you be here?"

"The trip is approximately 52 minutes by vehicle, so considering I left a little early and have a lead on the traffic—-,"

"I'll see you at my place," Peter hung up and dialed another number.

* * *

Peter didn't know who had looked more confused - Gibbs at the fact that he now had twin daughters, or Alt!Chloe, who had finally been clued in on Gibbs' identity. Their Chloe was still sleeping off her experience, and it was only due to the fact that nothing and no one would ever get the drop on Gibbs (and the fact that Booth was staying and updating Abby, Ducky, Palmer, McGee and Vance) that Peter finally left.

By the time he bathed and changed clothes Seeley was at his front door with two packs of beer to add to the ones Peter already had cooling in his fridge.

Ziva (Peter's last call) arrived with Tony soon after, both ladened down with boxes, the latter complaining about Ziva's driving, as well as making sure everyone knew he wanted to die in bed as an old man with a hot younger wife - and not in Washington DC traffic because 'Ziva's too good for a yellow light'.

Since there were more boxes in Ziva's car, Seeley and Peter went back down with the agents and helped them bring up the rest.

When Reid finally arrived, all twenty boxes filled with possible permanent bonders were all over Peter's small living room. "So it's going to be a long night," he declared as he pulled off his jacket.

"We can't let this happen again." Peter tossed Reid a cold beer, and now that he was there, Peter finally begun explaining (in detail) what exactly had happened. He was interrupted a million times by those listening, but was finally able to finish the whole convoluted story.

" _Two_ Chloe's?" Seeley had already asked this question, multiple times. This seemed to be the part that had him flummoxed.

"I wonder what effect having both of them here at the same time could have on the timeline continuum," Tony muttered as he looked over the file in his hand before chucking it in the "HELL NO" pile.

"I was about to say the same thing," Reid admitted. He'd chosen to drink water and not the beer Peter had thrown him. "This other government agency seemed to have not only had experience with temporal displacement anomalies, but their insistence that it be rectified immediately suggests that the situation could lead to catastrophic results."

"I usually only understand half of what Spencer says," Seeley announced to the whole room. "But even I get that Fauxie being here isn't a good idea."

"Fauxie?" Ziva asked in confusion.

"Faux Chloe," Tony answered immediately.

" _Ahhhh_." Ziva nodded in understanding.

"Shouldn't we be trying to figure a way to get Fauxie back to her own timeline?" Reid wanted to know. Apparently Alt!Chloe's new name had stuck.

"It won't matter if Fauxie returns to her own timeline, not if Chloe gets pulled back there again," Ziva responded before Peter could.

"She's right," Tony backed his partner up from where he sat on the ground, leaning his back against the seat she was seated on. " _Peter_ is right. The most important thing we can do right now is find her a permanent bonder. As soon as it isn't temporary - and we know she's safe - we send Fauxie home and then go out for drinks to celebrate."

With nothing more to add to that, the group went back to work.

* * *

Five.

Everyone had spent their Friday night sorting through the hundreds of possible permanent bonders, and after all that filtering they'd only ended up with five people who could possibly replace Peter.

They needed to concentrate on these five new candidates and get his replacement as soon as possible. Not only could Chloe be pulled through to another reality and be put through atrocities, but Peter couldn't be her permanent bonder, so really they were just wasting time. Why wait if Peter couldn't be it? He couldn't. Not only did he have a history of mental illness in his family, which completely disqualified him on its own, but he'd almost done something today he'd promised himself he'd never do. He'd been seconds away from going to see the last person he ever wanted to see - his father.

That could only mean that for all his talk about not letting Chloe get too attached to him - he'd gotten too attached to her - and that never ended well. For both Chloe's and his best interests he needed to find his replacement… and get back to the life he'd been living before this whole mess had fallen on his lap.

His gaze went to the figures sleeping and snoring all over his living room. Chloe had a good support system, many people who cared about her. As long as she had the right bonder she'd be fine.

Still, he was surprised they could sleep during such a time as this.

The five finalists' files were spread across the table. One of these people would be Chloe's permanent bonder. His temporary time in that role would soon be over.

Grabbing his lukewarm beer off of the side table, Peter took a very long gulp.

* * *

"Are you sure?"

"Of course," her twin reflection replied with a little shrug, an amused expression on her face. "This _is_ your universe anyway. You keep our first name. I'll just go by our second."

" _Anne_ ," Chloe murmured softly. "This must be weird for you."

Anne made a face. "I'm used to weird. Not, you know, _this degree_ of weird, but definitely weird. I guess… I like knowing that there's more to it than just my world. This one is so… same yet different. I almost don't want to go back immediately. I want to see more of it and figure out why certain things are so different from mine."

"Such as?" Chloe asked curiously. She figured she should probably be more freaked out to be talking to herself, but figured this must be what twins felt like. They'd just had years of getting used to it.

"Well… _this_ , for one. I still live in Kansas." Anne moved closer on the bed. The two mirror-image girls sat facing each other, legs crossed. "And, well, the fact that I have a father I didn't realize I did." She took in a deep breath. "And I just find it hard to believe that there's a universe in which I'm not best friends with Clark Kent." Her finger trailed over the quilt's design. " _Why_ are we not friends with Clark in this reality?"

Chloe stared up at her double. "Do you remember the organisms which attacked us?"

"Those beetle things?" Anne asked curiously, visibly intrigued by the change of subject.

"They were slugs once, but they went through a moment of metamorphosis in which they were in a chrysalis, one which turned them into what they truly are." Chloe took in a deep breath.

Anne's eyes narrowed. "You're saying Clark's in a chrysalis?"

"Metaphorically." Chloe cleared her throat. "He left to train with his father to become the person he was meant to be. He's been gone for so many years I do not think he is coming back."

"Oh." Anne's expression fell. "But what about Lana?"

"The last time I saw her I had just removed an unholy parasite that had attached itself to her soul and was using her as a conduit so as to approach me and form an unholy union," Chloe muttered with a flinch. "We did not remain in communication after I left."

"What about Lois?" Anne pressed. "The Lois I know would be here campaigning to find a way to help you. So why are all these strangers here but not her?"

"I cut off all contact with her after I left Smallville," Chloe explained. "It wasn't safe anymore. I left there because Gabe couldn't protect me, neither could dad, but at least he gave me anonymity. No one knew of any connection I had here, and I basically disappeared, but to do so I had to cut all ties with my old life." Chloe shrugged. "It was safer for her that way."

Anne frowned sadly. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Chloe responded with another shrug.

"No it's not, Lois is my best friend, she's my biggest support." Anne made a face. "This reality sucks!" She reached out and wrapped her arms around Chloe's shoulders, pulling her close in a crushing hug. "I'm so sorry about everything that's happened to you."

"It has not _all_ been horrible," Chloe tried for a joke, and cleared her throat when her voice squeaked. "Gibbs is gruff but great, and so are everyone else."

"Plus, there's Peter." Anne pulled away with a grin as she hugged her knees to her chest. "He really cares about you, you know. He lost his crap when he realized I wasn't you and that you were trapped over in my reality. He scared me a little, but I was also a bit jealous."

Chloe tilted her head curiously.

"Well, I don't have that." Anne let out a deep sigh. "I'm always so busy with Clark and Ollie and the Justice League that I never have time for guys who aren't in spandex. Even what I had with Jimmy totally disintegrated, and he was the closest thing I've had to a boyfriend in forever."

Chloe would get Anne to explain who Ollie and the Justice League were, right now she was more interested in this Jimmy guy. A version of her _had_ been dating him, after all. "What's this Jimmy guy like?"

"You never met Jimmy?" Anne blinked and then laughed. "He was a fling when I interned in the Daily Planet, and then later on, when we both started working there, we got close again."

A pang gripped Chloe's heart. "You work at the Daily Planet?"

"Yeah." Anne nodded with a growing smile. "It's hard to juggle work there, helping the Justice League, _and_ have a personal life, but it is worth it. I love my job." Her smile was ear to ear. "So why didn't you ever want to work there?"

"I do. I did." She corrected herself immediately and cast her gaze on her hands. "I—with everything—it's not a plausible dream." She took in a deep breath. "Lois is at the Daily Planet."

There was silence.

She lifted her green gaze to see utter sadness in those identical greens. "Please don't pity me, I don't think I could take it."

Anne cleared her throat and nodded, trying to smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "So, uh, Peter?"

"It's not like that between us," Chloe responded, her voice soft even to her own ears. "He's doing me a favor, he's keeping me safe. He's temporary." She took in a deep breath. "I cannot allow myself to become too dependent, too attached, because as soon as he finds someone to take his place he's going to leave." She force a smile on her face as she looked back up at Anne. "He is a good man, even if he doesn't realize it."

Anne stared at her before she reached out and held her hand, squeezing.

Chloe stared at her alternate version and smiled. "Is it weird that I want you to stay a little longer too? There's so much that we could learn from each other."

"I know." Anne grinned brightly, genuinely this time. "Let us use this time to help each other. Until we can find a way to get me back I'm staying here as your estranged twin sister Anne, so let's be what we both wanted as kids."

Chloe stared at the other blonde and smiled. "Okay, _sis_."

* * *

 **End of Temporary.**


End file.
